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I had the opportunity to read three contemporary romance books early and I read exactly one via the eARC provided by Netgalley. Who is surprised? Anyway, the good news is, you also can access all three of the books I’m going to review today. First up is Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley, which you can find on Kindle Unlimited and you’ll get the audiobook with it. I consumed this book by listening to it that way and I really enjoyed it. The Next Best Fling is Gabriella Gamez’s debut and that one I actually read with my eyeballs (please clap). And then finally, I read Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn via the audiobook I borrowed from Hoopla. I also really enjoyed that audiobook, though I did admittedly flip between audio and my e-ARC. Anyway, without further rambling, let’s talk about these books!

Do Me a Favor by Cathy Yardley

Plot: Willa, a widowed cookbook ghostwriter, moves into the home her great-aunt left her in the Pacific Northwest and quickly encounters another townsperson, Hudson, because of an escape artist of a dog. Willa is still reeling from the death of her husband, whom she’d been a caretaker of for a few years prior to his death. she’s also dealing with financial repercussions of a lot of that because *jazz hands* the American healthcare system. She’s also not very good at being open and accepting help. Hudson, meanwhile, is a gem of a man. He has golden retriever energy, but also a bit of an edge that keeps me from leaning fully into that metaphor.

What I Loved About this Book: The dog. Not to be ridiculous, but truly, I’m obsessed with the dog. Also, the setting. I loved everything about the setting. And actually, I really enjoyed this book in general. For me, this book was actually better than Role Playing, which it seemed like everyone loved so much. I felt like Yardley shined here in this book creating a sense of community and characters who felt real. (Also the food??? I wish I enjoyed anything about cooking besides the eating.)

What I Struggled With: I kind of wish the end of the book had been extended slightly. It was such a unique way to sort of end things off, but it left me wanting more int he aftermath. Or even during the events that occur at the end. I’m not sure if I’ve gotten used to reading 400+ page romances or something, but sometimes lately, I keep finding myself wanting more.

Who Would I Recommend This To: I don’t think I would recommend this if you’re in your early 20s just because both characters are older and I felt like the elder millennial vibes were really strong (another thing I loved). Plus, I think sometimes younger people seem to think that by the time people are 40, they’ll be perfectly mature and wise and, well, I used to feel that way too, but now I’m 33 and… I don’t feel that way. Anyway, so if you are also an elder millennial (or really just like in your late 20s and beyond), I think that would make this more likely to appeal. Also, Yardley’s writing carries with it this weightiness of emotion that I find has been appealing to me more and more, but also, I can’t pick up a book like that if I really want a light escapist read. Anyway, all that to say, definitely pick this one up if you haven’t and you think you might like it!

The Next Best Fling
by Gabrielle Gomez

Plot: Marcela has been in love with her best friend, Ben, since they started dating her freshman year of college and even though they’ve been over for years, she’s never been able to move on. Now Ben’s engaged. When Marcela overhears Ben’s brother, Theo, practicing what he’s going to say to Alice, Ben’s fiancé confessing his love for her, she stops him. Long story short, this leads to some assumptions about the idea that the two of them hooked up and they decide that’s a useful fiction to maintain to get them through until Ben and Alice are married. Of course, things don’t always go smoothly.

What I Loved: Theo makes literally one of the sweetest grand gestures that is so tailored to who Marcela is and it shows how well he pays attention, that I just really loved it. Marcela, unfortunately, was very thick headed and seemed incapable of recognizing for a while that Theo is actually the best thing to ever happen to her, but fortunately, she eventually got there.

What I Struggled With: Well, I guess I already said, but Marcela. She drove me nuts. Now, admittedly, I would also be absolutely that obtuse so it’s not like it was unrealistic, but I wanted to shake her sometimes.

Who Would I Recommend this to: Anyone, really! I think if you like books and bookish main characters, you will also enjoy this one a lot. I do think you need to be a person who understands a person who pines even when they realistically should have moved past the person they haven’t moved on from though.

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn

Plot: Maren turned down her boyfriend’s too public proposal and took off to the fishing shop and apartment that a friend left her, taking a leave of absence from her job to do so. The fishing shop thing is right beside the property that she used to go to with her family growing up and that property is owned by Josiah’s family. Joe is now a single father because his ex-wife is useless, frankly, and his youngest is autistic and he feels like he’s got a lot of balls in the air, but that he’s not doing a good job juggling. Maren initially is pretty determined to self-isolate, but that doesn’t last long and she finds herself helping keep the balls in the air (this metaphor doesn’t work super well when extended like this, huh?). Anyway, they eventually fall in love, obviously.

What I Loved About This Book: Everything about Maren and Josiah. I really loved them. I loved the family. I even loved this weird obsession with fishing. I had such a good time with the scenes when the two of them were on the same page. Also, Maren’s brother still has a hard time seeing Maren as a full-grown adult and I really appreciated the way that was handled in this book. It started off so annoying and I wasn’t sure I would be happy with the resolution, but I really was!

What I Struggled With: There’s a stalking sub-plot that really didn’t need to be there. First of all, it doesn’t add anything to the story. It’s not what ultimately results in the conflict between Josiah and Maren, which I appreciated. It’s just there to… Honestly, I’m not sure. But I could have done without it.

Who I Would Recommend To: If stalking isn’t a trigger for you, I would recommend this widely. I absolutely adored everything about Josiah and Maren and I’ve really enjoyed all three books of these interconnected standalones. I would love to co-opt this friend group and have it be mine too.

Closing Thoughts

Have you read any of these three? Do you think you will? Let me know!

xx